Scandium, lanthanum, praseodymium, neodymium, are some of the so-called rare earth elements, fundamental for new technologies along with other raw materials that have been declared critical, for their industrial importance: lithium, tungsten, magnesium, cobalt…

These raw materials have never been abundant and as a result of the crisis unleashed by the pandemic, being able to obtain them has become even more complicated.

A determining factor for regions such as Europe, which is highly dependent: although many of them are present in its soils, it has to import them at a rate of 90%.

The new solution proposed by Santiago Cuesta, Director General of the ICAMCYL Foundation, is for Europe to exploit (“sustainably”) the rare earths and critical materials within its borders to reduce dependence on the outside world.

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